Bitter diatribes of a Latte Junkie

I was searching the headlines this morning, which has become part of my morning routine, and I come across this article:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/LearnToBudget/thats-so-2005-what-were-we-thinking.aspx?page=1

The whole premise of the article is to discuss items that we are going to look back on in a few years time wondering “what were we thinking?” meaning…how in the world did I think it was a good idea to spend money on this or that?! Most of the items on the list refer to consumer lending disasters…loans, houses, cars people buy and can’t afford. But stuck in there with all of the financial disasters is my precious $4 latte. (*gasp*) How can this be?

Okay, I’ve been saying for awhile how completely absurd it is that I fall into the Starbucks breakfast latte trap nearly every day, but this article has me looking at my latte consumption from another perspective. See, when I think about all the lattes I buy, I tend to think it a little silly and almost cute (what’s not cute about a city girl who loves lattes). But when I picture myself sitting behind my desk at home balancing the budget with a bunch of kiddies running around while my husband works his day away at the office…suddenly looking back at my little (okay, more than little) latte habit is much less glamorous. I expect I’ll start wondering how many diapers I could have purchased with my weekly Starbucks expenditures. FACT: if I buy 1 Starbucks latte at $4.07 (that’s a grande) 5 days each week for a year, my Starbucks budget looks pretty disturbing. $1058.20 a year. On lattes. Any moms out there? How many diapers is that? That’s a couple weekend get-aways with my hubby. Would I even trade my lattes for a once/year $1000 shopping spree? Yes. (Not the point?)

Anyway…something has got to give. And well, Starbucks isn’t going to stop making lattes and I don’t think I want to trade my future children for excessive espresso delights right now. Good thing I often opt for a tall latte. ($899.60…dang!)

living the dream

have i mentioned that being married is awesome? this morning i woke snuggled under the blankets next to my hubby and i smiled because moments like that are sheer perfection...that is before you realize it's not actually saturday and you have to get out of bed & trudge to work looking somewhat presentable. (then again, it is casual friday so looking presentable is a matter of opinion).

i live in two worlds. i have a home & a family (albeit currently just me & my husband) and i so desire to be a master houswife. i want to bake banana bread, dust the night stands, have company over for dinner, perfect the art of container gardening, and squeeze in a little pilates (what? this housewife wants to look good too).

but i also have a job. i love the hustle & bustle of my posh little corporate job. the expressway commute, skirts & expensive boots, the perfect accessory (believe me, i'm a designer...this is very relevant to my job), deadlines followed by more deadlines, sushi, overtime pay, etc.

are there any other ladies out there who feels desperately torn between two worlds? Trying to keep up with your peers in corporate America AND having dinner on the table by 6 (let's be realisitic, it's usually more like 8) is exhausting.

weekday Highlights:
-seeing one of the "business professionals" at my firm walk by in pigtails. (you can't make this stuff up)
-having my favorite ladies come over to eat up all the left-over Memorial Day BBQ chippies

weekday Lowlights:
-2 house centipede sitings in 4 days (it's a slightly less tramatizing experience when i have a brave husband to kill the creepy critters while i stand on the toilet and squeal--thanks honey)

Window in the Sky

There’s nothing quite like coming home at the end of a really long day, leaving your shoes by the door, and stepping into your cozy slippers to scoot around the house. It’s even more delightful when your husband is right there with you in his fuzzies…

2008 brought on a lot of major changes in my life: I got engaged and married to the best man I know, moved out of an apartment that I shared with two amazing women, and started life over on the west side of Chicago with my husband. After many years (25 to be exact) of living with multiple women at one time, I’m now living with a boy.

And it’s wonderful.

This is a whole new world for me, living with a boy. I grew up in a home dominated by females and since leaving home I proceeded to share my rent with a variety of fabulous women. Now I have a whole new kind of roommate…not just a boy—a husband. I confess I was nervous to step into the unknown territory of living with a boy. As you can imagine, I’ve not heard good things. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but sharing a home with Randy brings me great joy.

People always ask what surprised me most about getting married and I am certain it is the fact that the whole transition felt very natural…like it was supposed to be this way. What a great feeling!

Husbands…are awesome. I’ve never felt so protected, cared for, and loved. On the flip side, I’ve never felt so selfish, incompetent, and busy before. Someone once told me something I cannot forget as I’m certain it defines what I’m experiencing right now:

“If you want to learn to serve like Jesus, stay single. If you want to learn to love like Jesus, get married.”

Marriage is a method of sanctification...a perfect design that requires humility, servitude, self-sacrifice, and prayer. Lots of prayer. It’s like a testing period where we’re forced to examine the attributes of Christ because it’s the only way we’re ever going to come close to loving one another well.